{five minute friday} How to Remove Set-In Grease Stains

Have I mentioned that I hate doing laundry? I HATE doing laundry! Even my pretty laundry room can't make me like it. I tried, I really did! And my absolutely least favorite part of doing laundry used to be trying to get out grease stains. I would wash and rewash my husband's shirts using different sprays and stain sticks, but the grease stains would still be there. Finally a friend of my mom recommended a solution ... and OMG, it worked!

I don't post cleaning tips on the blog very often, but I was so excited to finally find an answer that eliminated some of my laundry woes, I thought I had better share it in case others have been struggling with the same frustration! This post contains some affiliate links.

I seriously don't know where all of these grease stains come from, but they seem to end up on every shirt my husband owns!

Nothing I had tried was working, and we were constantly throwing away his polo shirts and replacing them. I wanted to pull my hair out every time I did the laundry!

My mom's friend shared a tip to try Dawn Platinum Erasing Dish Foam. It's made for cleaning dishes by absorbing grease, but she said it did the trick on laundry as well. My mom tried it and said it worked, so I decided to give it a try too. The first few times I bought it at Target, but it's been hit or miss and they don't always have it. I think I'm going to start buying the refill bottles from Amazon instead.

This soap foams as you pump it, and a little goes a long way. Squeeze out a small amount onto each of the grease stains.

Use your fingers to rub the dish soap into the fabric, ensuring that the entire stained area is covered.

Use your normal detergent and wash the clothes on the recommended settings. I prefer to wash all of my clothes in cold water using Tide Coldwater Clean.

If the grease or oil stain isn't removed, treat with Dawn erasing foam again and repeat. I've had just a few really stubborn set-in stains that I've had to wash two or three times, but most are removed after just one treatment, even if the stained shirt had previously been washed and dried.

I've only tried this on cotton, poly, and denim. If you have a stain on a more delicate fabric, I would recommend testing the Dawn erasing foam on a small, inconspicuous area first.

It's such a relief to have finally found a way to get rid of all those grease stains and oil! I still don't like doing laundry, but I have one less frustration to put up with!

This is what I have used also was going to suggest the Dawn Erasing foam, when first started reading your post. If it doesn't work first time, add little bit of baking soda to it the second time, and have not yet had to try a third time

Actually I can top all of these by telling you something that sounds insane but I swear by it in my bakery. FIRST, spray WD40 - (yes, I said WD40) on the stain. Let it soak a few minutes. THEN put the DAWN on and work in. The principle behind this is that the WD40 adheres to the grease already there, then the soap removes ALL of the grease, including the stain. It works - no matter how old the stain!

May I just squeeze your face and peck you with all the graciousness this Southern Mommadiva can muster!I HATE grease stains. But, they adore me!I've added quite a few faves into my "cleaning/cooking/jammie" pile'o'clothes.I've tried many products and techniques... no luck.NOW, I'm confident in rescuing so of my lovlies!

Oh my goodness, I am so glad that I found your post. This trick has worked 100% of the time. It even worked on one sweatshirt that had been washed and dried 4 times. In this case it took 2 applications. Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting!!

Anxious to try this on some shirts I've had hiding in the closet a while. I've had random spots appear in years past and it was so annoying, as I had no idea where they were coming from. I'm not a sloppy eater and I don't drink grease and accidentally spill it. I do like bacon, but it doesn't drip on my shirt ... every bit of it ends up in my mouth! I recently heard it could be from oil from the transmission or grease for other parts. Seems a logical explanation. Replaced both washer and dryer this year, and yet to have any random grease spots... fingers crossed I will not have the issue again, but looking forward to trying to degreasify the spots on some of my shirts!

Thank you, I just ordered the soap on amazon and hoping it works. I have a few different pieces of clothing with oil stains that have been sitting in my closet, because I love them and have been hoping there's a solution. I am a messy eater though. Will post an update later. I have a few dresses and shirts

I made this discovery after watching a commercial for Dawn, how they use it for animals affected by oil spills. I thought why not try it on grease stains. I found the regular Dawn works great but I learned stay away from the Dawn with Oil of Olay (not my smartest moment lol). I leave it sitting for 2-3 says before washing but this works like a charm!

I must say I was skeptical. I had grease stains on a polyester golf shirt. I had washed and dried it before I realized the stains were there. When I realized the stain spots had set, I used both Resolve and Spray and Wash to try to fix the problem,several times without putting in the dryer, just in the wash cycle. Neither worked. I tried this Dawn Solution and voila stains gone, in one wash cycle. One of my favourite shirts is saved. Thank you so much for this extremely helpful tip. I'll be using it again I'm sure. Canadian, Lady golfer is in red once again!

I'ved had pretty good luck using the regular 2X Dawn, but not always, so I am going to look for this product. I think Dawn is the best dishwashing product out there. It seems to last on my sponge much longer than other products and works really well to dissolve grease.

I had the same mystery stains on my polos and dress shirts for years. I sprayed the spots with Spray and Wash, sometimes with success and sometimes not. Finally, I noticed that the times I didn't use fabric softener in the washing machine, I never got the mystery stains. When I did use fabric softener, there they were. So, I've stopped using fabric softener and started using dryer sheets instead. I NEVER have mystery stains on my shirts anymore.

Holy Crap! THANK YOU. THANK YOU...! THANK YOU!!!! THIS WORKS!!! I'd include pictures if I could! My partner has been adamant that once you dry the grease stain, it is there forever. Challenge Accepted. I tried a carpet cleaner and shout. Nothing. I then tried WD-40 and Goo Gone, and it made it worse. So, not the sweat shirt is a write-off. So, why not... Sprayed it with the Dawn, used a brush, and gave it about 10 minutes. Washed it and dried it. and POW! Stains are gone. The caveat in this is that since I used so many other chemical before, that the sweatshirt faded a little. but it is the same all over. THANK YOU AGAIN!

During my time in the Army as an X-ray Tech and Medic, I had to do preventive maintenance on "my" vehicle, the 5-ton truck assigned to me because it was used to carry my field x-ray equipment, tent, and other medical supplies. So, inevitably I'd get grease on my BDUs (camo uniforms). One of my Sergeants told me to get the grease out of my clothes, I should POUR A CAN OF SODA IN THE WASHING MACHINE after the clothes were in and it filled with water. I thought it would never work, but amazingly it did (and still does)! I've found that Coke and Dr. Pepper work better than Pepsi! I've never tried any of the clear sodas like 7-Up or Sprite. But, it doesn't work to get set stains out if the clothes have already been through the dryer. Only works during the initial washing.

I don't believe it!! I have locs, and my stylist treats them with natural oils that can stain clothes when my hair gets too long. I thought a brand-new jumpsuit was ruined, but found this soap at Target and pre-treated the oil stains (which had already gone through the washer and dryer once) before washing them a second time. Presto - it was as if they'd never been there! What a find! Thanks so much for sharing this amazing tip 😊

COPYRIGHT & PHOTO SHARING POLICY

All text, images, and other content that are part of this blog are the property of Blue i Style, unless otherwise noted. All material is copyright protected. If you wish to feature one of my projects, feel free to share a single photo (no collaged images, or images with text overlays) as long as the no pin code is used to prevent my image from being pinned from your site. All features must include credit to Blue i Style with a link back to the original content (not just to the homepage). The project steps, supply list, and/or sources may not be disclosed. Please read my full content and photo sharing policy to ensure you comply with all guidelines. Failure to do so constitutes copyright violation.
Blue i Style's complete content and photo sharing policy, privacy policy and disclosures can be found here: Policies & Disclosures.

CREATE AT YOUR OWN RISK

Any and all content on this website is for personal use only and created exclusively for inspiration purposes. Creating with my suggested methods, products used, and tools is at your own risk. Please ensure you are following proper guidelines with anything used, and you receive professional guidance when necessary.
Read my complete disclosure at:
Policies & Disclosures.

SPONSORSHIPS and AFFILIATIONS

To help fund this blog, I accept some forms of advertising, sponsorships, and affiliate links. If you buy something that I recommend, you pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission. As always, all opinions are my own.
Blue i Style is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. I use an affiliate marketing service which may automatically put links into some posts, so please assume any/all links may be affiliate links. Full Disclosure Statement